Madden 09 Talk...

Although some games are played in domes, football remains one of the sports in which weather can be a factor. Some of the most memorable football moments come when teams battle the elements and each other. Who can forget last year's blizzard-like Seahawks vs. Packers playoff game, or the 1967 "Ice Bowl?"

For our continuing Madden Mondays series, EA SPORTS has given us another exclusive sneak peek at one of the features of Madden NFL 09, shipping out August 12, as well as the 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition of Madden NFL 09 for Xbox 360 and PS3. In their efforts to enhance the drama and emotion of a real football game, they've taken on the weather.

To give Mother Nature the respect she deserves, they've overhauled everything from Madden NFL 08 to give you a movie-like experience. One of these overhauls is fog, and lots of it. It gives a greater sense of depth and scale and makes the stadiums seem huge. We've heard that no two snowflakes are alike, and although we haven't seen every flake in Madden NFL 09, we can tell you the snow is more realistic than ever. You'll see deeper snow on the fields, with dramatic accumulation and realistic wear from play. Player's footsteps will leave imprints, snow will be piled on the sidelines and the yardage lines will be shoveled, just like in a real game. We probably won't see a snowplow clearing off a space for a field goal since the NFL banned their use after the infamous 1982 "Snowplow Game." But you never know.

Improved color correction and stadium light bloom mean that you'll see the steam of a player's breath on a frosty night, as well as splashes of water when his feet hit the rain-covered turf. And the 3-dimensional interaction that snow and rain particles have with the wind may tempt you to bundle up when you play. You'll see it all at a movie-quality 60 FPS rate on the Xbox 360 and PS3. All of these subtle differences add up to give you an immersive NFL experience.

Remember, these exclusive peeks aren't necessarily the main new features. They're just the tip of the iceberg, no pun intended. EA SPORTS is keeping the rest of the iceberg top secret for now. But we will continue to chip away at the iceberg with another exclusive every Monday for the next six weeks.
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http://www.gamestop.com/gs/blog/#maddenweather

Here's a comparison w/ the snow:

Madden 08-



Madden 09-

 

Nice. Thanks for the post. That snow screen reminds me of the McNabb commercial before '06 was released.

 

yeah i kinda have a feeling that the image shown might be computer generated and not actual gameplay.. but we shall see

 

Can't wait to see D'Angelo Hall and Darren McFadden :foak:

 

Eli!!

 

here is another image released

 

Hall getting burned is something I can't wait to see, though without Chad Johnson it won't be by me

 

http://forums.ea.com/mboards/thread.jspa?threadID=359444&start=0&tstart=0

 

funny.... I had the same question when Al Davis traded Moss away for a 4th round draft pick... WHY?

 

The online league feature should be pretty cool too. I do like Nnamdi though...D-Hall can go back to whining in ATL, as can Javon to Denver

 

madden looking good they dont need weather online right now

 

I read an interview they had on IGN with some of Madden's producers or whatever. Really the whole league thing just seems to be the same product 2k has offered for years with their leagues. How can you not have a mode to import draft classes when they tie NCAA and Madden together all the freakin time (importing classes in single player, etc.). I think its going to be another subpar year. Like I was saying to someone else about 2k baseball, and I think it applies to madden's weather. Rockstar can get 16 people running smoothly in freaking New York (Liberty City, whatever) but they can't get weather in the online mode of Madden? When weather is one of the first things you tout in your game, you might be in trouble.

 

buncha new pics
http://www.joystiq.com/photos/madden-09/779423/

 

More on the online league feature, as well as...gameplay.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/870/870503p1.html

 

Well i dont care either way..

I do have a problem with them worrying about weather.. I know why they decided to do it because of the Green Bay Playoff games but still .. Its the gameplay that I care about..

But I'll still play it.. Got to have my fix..

There has only been a couple of times that I just wont play a game.. That was Madden 06 with its dumb Cone passing.. Just didnt feel you had the time to get rid of the ball on hot blitzes..

And then there was NCAA (I think it was 04) that they didnt have any drop passes the year before and that year they decided there needed to be more..lol.. In most games I remember only completing 3 or 4 passes..

As long as they dont take the game out of your hand then I'll be happy with this year's madden.. They almost did it this season with the DB's...

 

This is the beauty part of having Peter Moore in charge of EA Sports , the fact that online leagues are going to a focal point and the article mentions all EA teams work together.... well

NBA / Tiger / NCAA / Nascar / FIFA / NHL will dominate in 09 and for years to come :wink:

 

I'm looking forward to building my franchise this year. This will be the first time in many, many, many years that I will not have #4 leading the Pack.

 

Apparently he will be a free agent for single player, walker not included

 

cant wait running the franchise with the steelers. if im reading right ill be able to throw out dennis dixon for a couple of trick plays!

 

Is that before or after you play the James Harrison assault mini-game? :razz: